Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Philistine, vulgar, coarse: Describes a person, behavior, or attitude that is crude, lacking in refinement, culture, or higher sensibilities. It emphasizes a focus on the mundane and material over the intellectual or aesthetic.
   • Common, lowly, base: Refers to something or someone considered ordinary in a negative sense, of low moral or cultural standing.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Hắn là một kẻ tục tử, chỉ biết đến tiền bạc. (He is a philistine, only caring about money.)
  • Lối sống tục tử ấy không được hoan nghênh trong giới trí thức. (That vulgar lifestyle is not welcomed in intellectual circles.)
  • Những suy nghĩ tục tử không thể hiểu được giá trị của nghệ thuật. (Base thoughts cannot understand the value of art.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is considered literary and somewhat archaic in modern Vietnamese. It is used for strong, critical judgment, often in formal writing or speech to condemn a lack of sophistication or moral elevation.

Variants and Related Words

• Tục tằn (adj): Vulgar, rude, obscene. Often refers to crude language or behavior.

  • Anh ta chửi bậy những lời tục tằn. (He swore with vulgar words.)

• Thô tục (adj): Crude, coarse, unrefined. Similar in meaning but more commonly used than "tục tử."

  • Hành vi thô tục nơi công cộng là không thể chấp nhận. (Crude behavior in public is unacceptable.)

Synonyms

• Philistine: A person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts.
• Vulgar: Lacking sophistication or good taste.
• Coarse: Rough or harsh in texture or manner.
• Base: Without moral principles; ignoble.

Related Idioms

• Con mắt tục tử: A philistine's eye; a perspective that is mundane and incapable of appreciating beauty or depth.
  • Với con mắt tục tử, bức tranh ấy chẳng có giá trị gì. (Through a philistine's eye, that painting has no value.)